: About Me

I am the Membership Coordinator at Teachers Without Borders. I recently learned about Helium through a partnership we have with them in creating an upcoming writing contest.

I am a graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in English and Communications. I am a former 6th grade teacher, having worked as a Teach For America corps member for 2 years in Phoenix. I am a returned Peace Corps volunteer, after living in a small, rural village in the Republic of Moldova teaching English and training teachers.

I now work for Teachers Without Borders, an international, non-profit organization working hard to connect teachers to information and each other in order to mobilize them to play a more vital role in their communities. I truly believe that teachers are the key to change and progress in our world and if we can connect them with each other on a global level, the possibilities for improvement are endless.

I also dabble in a bit of writing and am very excited to join this community to practice, showcase and improve my written abilities.

Please visit www.teacherswithoutborders.org for more information about our organization and free membership.

My passion is ...

travel

I know too much about ...

too many people

My parents always told me ...

that they were proud of me

My childhood ambition ...

was to be an actor

My favorite memory ...

Yosemite

Why I write ...

to free my mind of the burdens that are my thoughts

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Jhumpa Lahiri (always)/Pedro Almodovar (always)/Sigur Ros (always)

My first job ...

bookseller at Barnes and Noble

My best moment ...

when I was a teacher

My inspiration ...

beautiful landscapes, exciting cultures, and children

Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Living with cancer as a family

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Cancer. Lance Armstrong gave it a testicle, but beat it. Christina Applegate lost her breasts, but beat it. Roger Ebert's jaw will never look the same, but it's still possible to see that smile. Cancer is a terrible disease, but people do survive. But sometimes - lots of times - people die. He died. That's how this story ends. I've given it away, haven't I? His end is your beginning. Fifty-five. Fifty-five years old and stuck in a leather recliner in our living room. He looks pathetic, and he knows it. We know it, but pretend we don't.Fifty-five. Fifty-five seconds to get into the passenge...

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• Helium Charter Member